A camera is a must for me now days with all the articles I write for The Gadgeteer and all the traveling I have been and will be doing. So, when looking for a new camera I have specific criteria I want it to meet. First I need it to be somewhat portable, I am using a Canon Power Shot SX10 IS right now and it is rather large. The second and maybe most important is that it needs to have a view finder. I am still old school in that manner. Most of today’s portable or pocket cameras only have a LCD screen on the back to line up and view pics, while that is fine in bright sunlight it can be a killer to see the screen. With those two criteria in mind I set out to find the perfect camera for me and I did, the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS50. The DMC-ZS50 not only has a view finder but also such features as 30X optical zoom, a control ring that allows you to manually focus, a LCD monitor, a 4.4 x 2.5 x1.4 inch foot print and a rechargeable battery. The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS50 is not the cheapest camera, averaging about $390 without an SD card, but for size versatility and features it is worth a look. For more info check out the specs at on the Panasonic web site or Amazon to order. I will be looking into reviewing this camera in the future.
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I have had a DMC-ZS50 for a few weeks now and I’m loving it. The viewfinder is small but very useful. The control ring can be assigned different functions – I think I’ll use it either for exposure compensation or ISO, since I don’t use manual focus much.
That is a great camera, but I find that the flash is in a horrible position for me. If I take any indoor pictures, I almost always end up with fingers over the flash with this camera. The flash unit should be located away from the grip.
@David Evans I tend to let the camera do its own thing, but I have found when I am taking close up pictures that my Canon cant always focus so having the ability to manual focus on the DMC-ZS50 is great.
@Robert I agree that the placement of the flash is a little wonky and takes some learning, just like the placement on the view finder on the left side of the camera. I think I will get use to it the more I use it though.
I hove my older version of this camera. Looking forward to getting a new model.
@nicole Make sure to check the stats on the new model versus the older, the new model DMC-ZS50 takes some steps back in some steps to make it function better.